Joey Sommerville

Joey Sommerville

Unlike most trumpet players, the basis of Joey’s musical essence lies in the Baptist church. “When I was a teenager, I would judge the caliber of my playing by the number of people in the congregation who ‘got happy’. If you aren’t touching the listener’s soul, then you aren’t really playing music. Soul communication is the key.”

He has performed and recorded with a wide range of artists from the jam-rock icon group Phish to hip-hop hitmaker Jazze Pha. He was also the featured instrumental soloist on the Cirque de Soleil’s Grammy-nominated and Juno Award winning album, Alegria. In 2001, he scored a Gavin Top 20 Contemporary Jazz hit as a writer/producer with Bob Baldwin for the single “Business Call”. In 2006, Joey took his turn as a featured soloist on Hidden Beach Recording’s “Unwrapped Volume 4”.

He produced Rhonda Smith’s “RS2” which features Prince, Sheila E. and gospel great, Fred Hammond. The song “Sunshine” from the album made the 2007 Grammy Ballot and was voted one of the 10 best albums of the year by Music Magazine (Japan).

His new album, “Like You Mean It”, features guest appearances by Wayman Tisdale, Marion Meadows, Phil Perry, Bob Baldwin, Rhonda Smith and Mike Phillips